Q: Should I plant carnivorous plants in habitats they don't live in already?

A: The official stance of the International Carnivorous Plant Society
is that in most cases the planting of exotic (also known as "non-native")
species is not appropriate. (The word "exotic" is used in its
original sense, meaning "something originating from somewhere else.") You can read the
ICPS conservation statement
for yourself to see this--it is on-line at their web site.

The Nature Conservancy thinks that exotic, and especially invasive,
species are such an important issue they have a
Global Invasive Species Initiative for addressing the threats posed
by such organisms (in fact, I'm on the staff!). They have good reason to be concerned,
for introduced species are the cause of more species extinction than
anything except for habitat destruction! (You may want to look at the
FAQ entry about exotic species)

Dionaea in California

Carnivorous plant enthusiasts love their plants, love seeing them in the wild, and some love
the convenience and thrill of having them grow nearby (instead of across the country or on another continent).
I can understand---I have never seen Drosophyllum in the wild, and think it would
be cool to see some. On the other hand, the mere mention of non-native plantings of carnivorous plants will
make other carnivorous plant growers very mad. This is a topic sure to cause arguments on-line, or face to face!

My own perspective, of course, is that non-native plantings are wrong.

To analyze the situation with delicacy, I think I can approach the matter
most clearly by carefully defining "relevant issues" and then discuss how they come into play in
various "situations".
Once we all unambiguously know what we're talking about, we're much closer to achieving a civil conversation.

Relevant Issues
(in alphabetical order))

Aesthetics

When it comes down to it, many people simply do not like to see plants
growing outside of their natural range.

Aldrovanda vesiculosa

Example: If I am walking through a cactus
forest in Arizona, I do not want to see an African daisy! (Regardless
of how much affection I may have towards daisies.) Darling little African daisies
are not what the cactus forests of Arizona are all about. I want to
appreciate the cacti and their natural habitat for what they are in
their original, unmodified beauty. (True example)

Example:Aldrovanda plants
in a North American Utricularia pond are cheap adornments that detract from the
beauty of a natural habitat. They occur there, not because of the splendor of the natural
processes of the world, but rather only because some horticulturist put the plants there,
just as if they had dropped a soda can. Biological pollution, they are. (True example)

Genetic Drift

It is well known that there are variations within species. The Sarracenia
flava from Virginia are different from those of Georgia.
Indeed, populations of plants in neighboring bogs are often different!
If you introduce a plant to a new habitat, you are potentially disturbing
the natural gene pool of plants in that area.

Example: Suppose you sow seeds of Drosera capillaris with
long leaves (from Florida) in a big South Carolina pond. These plants might interbreed with
the native South Carolina Drosera capillaris. In time, the
characteristics that make the South Carolina population unique may be lost. (Hypothetical example)

Example: You introduce Drosera capillaris with
long leaves (from Florida) in a big South Carolina pond, and there aren't any other
nearby populations of Drosera capillaris. Do you know how
far a pollinating insect can travel? Do you know how far that bug can travel when the wind from a storm is blowing?
It might be able to get to those surprisingly distant plants in the next county! (Hypothetical example)

Hybridization

Sarracenia leucophylla

Sarracenia rubra, planted in New Jersey

A more extreme case of genetic drift, plants you introduce to a site could hybridize with
other species, resulting in a hybrid swarm that could pollute the entire gene pool.

Example: Suppose you introduce S. minor to the New Jersey pine
barrens (where it is not native), well within the range of naturally occuring
S. purpurea. Pollinators visiting your plant may take pollen
to native plants and produce hybrids. Never again could you observe an interesting
S. purpurea in that area, without wondering if maybe it is just an
artificial hybrid. (True example)

Example: Suppose you are a horticulturist in Texas, smack in the middle of S. alata
habitat. Suppose you start growing other Sarracenia, and since the conditions
are so nice, you grow them outside. You are within a bee's flight of native pitcher plants, and could
easily damage the native Sarracenia genetics. (True example)

Example: Suppose you introduce S. purpurea from coastal Georgia
to the Gulf Coast of Florida, secure in the knowledge that you have only moved a plant from one part of its
native range to another (and you have only messed around with genetic drift issues). But then, shortly after,
you read that biologists have decided that all the
Gulf Coast S. purpurea are in fact a different species,
S. rosea. Oops! (Hypothetical example)

Example: Think of the damage a single S. flava could do, in time, if transplanted
to one of the few remaining populations of S. oreophila! (Hypothetical example)

Invasive Species

Utricularia inflata invading Washington

The worst kind of organism you can introduce to the wild is a species which is considered "invasive".
Invasive species are so good at pioneering new habitat and reproducing
well that they are very difficult to control or remove. I cannot imagine
that species of Sarracenia would ever be considered invasive---they take
too long to mature and reproduce to be a problem. But this is not the true for all carnivorous plants.

Example:Drosera capensis and Utricularia subulata
are introduced to a Californian Drosera rotundifolia site, and rapidly become
impossible to remove because of the extent of the infestation. This site no longer is of interest
to conservation organizations because of the biological pollution. (True example).

Example:Utricularia inflata is introduced far out of its range, to Washington
state, probably by carnivorous plant horticulturists. It becomes an irritation to recreationists, and is likely to be
declared as legally "noxious" and
therefore illegal to grow in the state! (True example)

Legality

You are not allowed to practice horticulture on land that you do not own. Regardless of whether land is owned by
a private person, company, conservation nonprofit, or government, in order to enter land and plant things there
you must be aware of the law in in full compliance with all regulations.

Example: You discover that a Venus flytrap in your collection was poached from public land. To make things
right, you return to the public land with the plant in order to return it to the wild. You are apprehended by officials
for poaching---the baggied plant in your backpack being used as prima facie evidence you were poaching.
(Hypothetical case, but possible according to North Carolina law)

Pest Introduction

Plants planted into the wild may carry greenhouse pests with them.

Drosera × hybrida, planted in California

Example: You introduce a slow-growing, sterile hybrid plant
(Drosera ×hybrida)
into the wild. It is not invasive. However, you didn't realize that the soil ball with the plant
contained invasive Utricularia subulata and soil pathogens (fungus)
that could damage the environment. (Hypothetical case based on true example)

Example: I have observed that the populations of Darlingtonia artificially
planted in Mendocino County, California, are heavily parasitized by
what appears to be greenhouse thrips. I have not seen such damage on
natural stands of Darlingtonia. Is it possible that these thrips
might evolve to attack natural stands of Darlingtonia next? Perhaps
they can already---arthropods are well known for their ability to evolve
rapidly into new strains. In this case, it is fortunate no natural stands
of Darlingtonia occur nearby. But if someone planted thrips-infested
Sarracenia in a Darlingtonia bog, the thrips would find
an easy foothold. Far from natural predators, the thrips could devastate
the native carnivorous plants.

Science

If you quietly introduce plants into the wild, you might confuse biologists and conservationists
who may expend a lot of energy on the plantings.

Dionaea muscipula, planted in Florida

Example: The 1993 edition of the Flora of California (The Jepson Manual) lists
D. linearis as occurring (artificially) in California. This is clearly
an incorrect reference to plantings of D. capensis---some poor
naturalist found the D. capensis plants and assumed they were
wayward North American plants in California, instead of thinking about
South African species! How many more people will now be confused by
this erroneous report? (True example)

Example: Scientists are arguing about the native vs. non-native status
of Venus flytraps in Florida, even though some horticulturists claim
to know those who have done the introductions! (True example)

Example: Florida has a populations of native
Drosera filiformis in western Florida. As these sites become endangered by development,
companies seeking to destroy the sites could argue that these sites are probably only
non-native plantings by horticulturists, and therefore not of conservation value. (Hypothetical example)

Unintended Consequences

Darlingtonia californica has been planted in Canada

This is an open-ended question that contains all the other dangers
of species introduction. Do not introduce species carelessly---after
habitat destruction, the largest cause of species extinctions is from
introduced species (a statement from the top of this page that is worth
repeating!). Many exotic species were introduced with high motives,
but have caused huge biological catastrophes. Do not play God of Creation
with the environment.

Example: It is simple reality that the plants you introduce
must displace other plants. Perhaps a rare orchid will no longer
have a foothold. Perhaps a delicate fern. Maybe even something as uninteresting
as a species of grass. (Hypothetical examples)

Example: Perhaps a rare insect lives in the area---your
carnivorous plant could be feasting at one of the insect's only habitats. (Hypothetical example)

Example: I know of a few carnivorous plant bogs which are not of interest to
conservation organizations because enthusiasts have planted carnivorous
plants there---the conservation organizations consider the sites "artificial"
and not worthy of protecting as representatives of natural areas. (True example)

Situations

1)When plantings are being done outside a plant's natural range...

Aesthetics: An issue for those who don't like your meddlings.
Hybridization: An issue.
Invasive species introduction: A very important consideration.
Legality: I'd be worried about this, if I were you.
Pest introduction: A very important consideration.
Science: Important.
Unintended consequences: This should keep you up at night.

2)Plantings within a plant's natural range...

Aesthetics: Make sure this isn't an issue in your case.
Genetic drift: This is important.
Legality: I'd be worried about this, if I were you.
Pest introduction: A very important consideration.
Science: Important.
Unintended consequences: This should keep you up at night.

As long as all the issues have been properly analyzed by yourself and other experts (not just your buddies),
the project should be be done as part of a successful habitat restoration plan that is being carefully monitored.

3)As a form of conservation...

Even if the plant you want to introduce to the wild is an endangered
plant with a limited range, you must still consider all of the
relevant issues I describe below. You must behave responsibly.
It is difficult to justify introducing a plant into the wild (but
outside its normal range)
if it growing successfully in cultivation---the wildland planting is
just as artificial as a plant in a greenhouse.
Noting this, the planting of common plants like Drosera capensis or
Utricularia subulata in the wild is unjustifiable. The fact
they are invasive species makes planting them indefensible!